The Flower-Elves - Part Four

 

“How can I help you?” The scholar was dazed.

“You need to make a scarlet coloured flag every New Year’s day and you have to paint the sun, moon and five planets on it. You have to put the flag on the eastern part of your garden. Then we will be safe.”

“But the New Year has already passed this year!” The scholar fumbled and reminded the maidens.

“Set up the flag on the twenty-first day of this month. That way we will be safe from the East Wind.”

The scholar agreed to do what was asked of him and the maidens vanished from there.

On the right day, the scholar set up the flag and even before the scholar could finish the East wind started to blow. However, the scholar quickly finished the flag and planted it in the eastern side of the garden.

A wild storm swept through the place. Trees from the nearby forests were uprooted.

However nothing happened to the flowers in the scholar’s garden.

That was when the scholar realized that among the maidens who had come to see him Salix was the Willow, Prunophora was the plum, Punica was the Pomegranate and Perscia was the peach.

The scholar also realized the zephyr-aunts were the spirits of the winds.

After the storm had passed the scholar’s flag kept the flowers completely safe.

So as a token of gratitude, the Flower-Elves brought him beautiful flowers as gifts.

When the scholar ate the flowers that he had been given, he grew young like a man in his twenties.

The scholar had also got his hidden wisdom and became an Immortal.

Adapted from Chinese Folktales